Avexir Blitz 1.1 Original 8GB 2400MHz Memory Review

Overview

For some time I have had my eye on some memory modules from Avexir, now while they are new in the review pages of pcGameware, Avexir have actually been around for a while. Established in 2006, with their first Gaming modules shown at Computex 2011 and awards in 2013 at Computex (Germany), Avexir is already well on its way to becoming one of the top Boutique Memory manufacturers in the world!

The modules in question are Avexir’s new Blitz 1.1 modules, we reported on these modules (here), back in December and these are now available at Overclockers.co.uk. The modules as you can see from the news post are available in a variety of different guises (actually 6 in all, acording to Avexir’s website), with this one being somewhat boringly named Original!

This particular set of modules (AVD3U24001004G-2BZ1) comprises of x2 4GB sticks of 2400MHz (PC3-19200C) RAM with timings of 10-12-12-31 (via XMP) at a voltage of 1.65 volts.

The outer Avexir box is really quite smart, with the back of the box giving a wealth of information for both Gamers and Overclockers.

Unfortunately I was disappointed when I received the box as it was obvious from the rattling that the modules were loose inside! On opening the box the modules had indeed fallen out of their slots, as quite quite frankly the packaging only seems to be half there. There really needs to be something on the top of the RAM modules to stop them falling out. Luckily the modules do not appear to be damaged, but not off to a good start…

With the modules put back in their respective slots, things seem to take on a whole new appearance, looking good now…

At the time of writing the Avexir Blitz 1.1 Original 8GB 2400MHz Memory kit is retailing for approximately £99 and comes with a Lifetime Warranty.

First Impressions

First impressions are very good there’s no doubt that the Avexir Blitz 1.1 (Original) is one good looking RAM module. Note the use of a black PCB also, always good to see. I can’t wait to see them powered on, with the lights down low… 😉

The front of the modules feature a kind of PCB design that’s particularly cool, with red and white highlights and a red Avexir logo in the lower section. The upper section is where the real action takes place though as this is where we should see the Blitz 1.1’s white LED lighting.

The back of the modules appear to be exactly the same as the front, apart from the sticker. At least this one does not claim Warranty Void if Removed!

Looking at the edge of the Blitz 1.1 we can see that the Dimm connector has been well protected via a plastic strip, again good to see (and needed as the rest of the packaging was poor!). We can also see the top edge of the RAM with its Avexir logo in the centre, from what I can tell we should see this entire area light up (white) when the RAM is powered up.

The top light bar seems to be held in place with four screws, and looks to be easy to remove, should you wish to do so. This is especially useful for LN2 overclockers and this is even mentioned by Avexir on the back of the box!

Hardware Installation

Installation of the Avexir Blitz 1.1 Original 8GB 2400MHz RAM into our Test Rig was simple enough, although with a height of 45mm they are taller than your average RAM module. It might be worth a check if you’re using a large Air CPU Cooler, to make sure it doesn’t foul. We had no issues with our test Raijintek Themis cooler.

The Test Rig booted first time and with the MSI Z87 G45 motherboard at Auto settings the Avexir Blitz 1.1 modules were set to the default speed of 1600MHz, with timings of 11-11-11-28 at 1.5 volts. This can bee seen in the UEFI images provided below.

By enabling the eXtreme Memory Profile (XMP) Profile 1 via the BIOS/UEFI the memory was set to its maximum rated speed of 2400MHz with timings of 10-12-12-31 at 1.65 volts.

Now for some testing…

Testing Methodology/Setup

The Avexir Blitz 1.1 Original 8GB 2400MHz RAM Kit was tested as part of our normal Test Rig, using Windows 7 64Bit (Service Pack 1) with all relevant Drivers installed. Prime95 (Blend) was used to test stability and the following benchmarks were also used.

The image above from AIDA64 shows that the throughput and the latency of the Avexir Blitz 1.1 Original 8GB 2400MHz memory is very good. But for some reason it can’t seem to match the performance of the Kingston HyperX Beast, especially in the Write department!?

This goes to prove that there’s more at work here than just memory speed and timings (especially as the Avexir 2400MHz timings are effectively tighter than that of the Kingston Beast), as to what’s at work I’m not too sure, sorry! But for now the Kingston Beast 2400MHz still has the edge…

Gaming Related Benchmarks

To give us some idea of the effect the increase in memory speed has on Gaming, the benchmarks below have been run at both 1600MHz and 2400MHz using the Avexir Blitz 1.1 Original 8GB 2400MHz modules. We actually changed the benchmarks a little in an attempt to look a little deeper into the topic of whether an increase in Memory speed does truly affect FPS to any real degree. Let’s see shall we…

As you can see faster memory does make a difference (around 2.5% average across the tests) but the tests above have been specifically tweaked to prove this. The reason that we can prove it here with the above setup is that the frame rate is so high, with the twin GTX 780’s giving the CPU & RAM Subsystem plenty to do while only running at a resolution of 1920×1080. This is of course not realistic for most of us!

Most of us will run at 1920×1080 with only a single card (maybe not even as powerful at the GTX 780). Therefore you can be sure that as the GPU becomes more of a bottleneck less stress will be put on the CPU/RAM Subsystem so your performance increase will decrease to less than a couple of percent. Worth it? I’ll leave that for you to decide…

LED Lighting

Let’s now cover the strobe lighting offered by the Avexir Blitz 1.1 Original 8GB 2400MHz modules. Now while the white strobe lighting is particularly cool looking the level of brightness (overall) is not as good as I had hoped for. This is due to the strobe effect being utilised; as the lighting is more often off than on, if you get what I mean!? Even the Avexir logo in the top of the module never seems to be fully lit, which is just a little bit of a shame! You could call it subtle, but it’s a little too subtle in my opinion. 😉 Installed into an unlit case or darker case interior it will undeniably look better but if you already have internal case lighting then the effect is not as striking as you might expect/want. Of course some form of software control would probably be the answer to this, fingers crossed, come on Avexir…

Final Thoughts

Overall the Avexir Blitz 1.1 Original 8GB 2400MHz Memory modules are a great addition to Avexir’s range. But they need to sort out their packaging quickly as at this time it’s rather poor, and your RAM sticks are likely to be found rattling around in a box!

But, once out of the box the true splendour of the Blitz 1.1 (Original) modules can be appreciated, I believe this is in fact one of the best looking RAM modules I’ve ever seen, and after this Review I think I’m going to use them in my own Rig. 😉 Performance was very good as one would expect from a 2400MHz kit, but the Blitz 1.1 still couldn’t beat the performance of the Kingston Beast modules.

Throughout testing I ran into no issues with the Blitz 1.1 modules and they were 100% stable in all Prime95 testing and during all Benchmarks and Gaming.

One of the main attractions here is of course the LED lighting, now while very good I feel it could have been just a little better (brighter). The lighting (mainly due to the Strobe effect) spends too much of its time off (or almost off), in a well lit rig it’s just a little too subtle. In darker case interiors the lighting is likely to be far more prominent though.

Great looking, good performance RAM from Avexir, with a somewhat subtle (nice though!) strobe LED lighting effect, that definitely looks kind of cool. Price is high as one would expect for these custom designed modules, but that’s to be expected in my opinion. Avexir need to sort out their packaging though…